DuPont, Syngenta Set Venture
To License Crop-Biotech Traits

By

Scott Kilman

Updated April 11, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET

DuPont Co. and Syngenta AG, banding together against crop-biotechnology giant Monsanto Co., agreed to cross-license some of their biotechnology traits and to form a joint venture to license some of their genes and breeding lines to seed companies.

While crop-biotech companies make a lot of their money selling their genetically modified seeds directly to farmers, the largest company by sales of seeds and genetically modified traits -- Monsanto of St. Louis -- has also long reaped additional profits by licensing its genes to...